CI: I have fallen and i can't get up

[JumboShrimp]

After reaching a certain level, my CI started falling.

I slowed down (pretty much stopped) adding new routes.  I also nearly doubled my marketing budget.  All it resulted in CI stabilizing, but I can't get it up again.  I thought doubling of the general marketing budget would help...

When I was going to upgrade the marketing budget, I was going to cancel the existing permanent general campaign and start a new, bigger one.  But since there was a substantial cancellation fee, I just added a 2nd campaign, covering a medium other than the first campaign.

Question: Does it make any difference to have 1 campaign with 2x money spent compared to 2 campaigns with 2 times 1x money spent?

[Sigma]

Question: Does it make any difference to have 1 campaign with 2x money spent compared to 2 campaigns with 2 times 1x money spent?

No difference at all.

Your CI is effected only by the TOTAL dollars spent.

It doesn't matter whether it's 5 plans or 1.  It doesn't matter whether you do it advertising in a City or the whole World.  It doesn't matter whether it's Internet ads or Print ads.  The only thing that matters is the total amount of money you're spending.

[Curse]

Huge number of delays/cancellations?

[JumboShrimp]

Huge number of delays/cancellations?

Actually. I think the delays and cancellations are very low (in my opinion).  Avg delay on most flights is in low single digits.

Cancellations?  Majority of planes have 0 cancellations.  Like 90% of the planes.  Maybe 10% have some cancellations, between 10 and 20% approx.

[Curse]

You can see the current numbers when you click the button "Routes", than "Flight delays".

[JumboShrimp]

Is there any kind of summary to get without paging through all the routes?

I paged through all the routes, and, like I said, delays are less than 5 minutes on majority of the routes and approx 90% of the routes have 0 cancellations...

Just trying to figure this out: My CI was ~55, and then it started dropping fairly quickly as I added routes.  It dropped to ~45 when I doubled the marketing.  It's not dropping any more, but it is stuck there....

Is this something I have to live with, being a regional airline, or is there hope?

[Sigma]

Is there any kind of summary to get without paging through all the routes?

Top of the page, go to "Routes" then down to "Flight Delays".  It's precisely that -- a summary page.

[JumboShrimp]

Great!  Thanks.  I Never noticed that screen.

Punctuality: 95.4%
Average Delay: 1 min
Flight Cancellations: 1.4%

My guess these numbers should not be dragging my CI down.

[Sigma]

Nope, but I never heard of CI going down without those being bad either.

Normally, your marketing budget should scale automatically as you add routes.  It would continue to raise in weekly outlay without making your CI go any higher, but you shouldn't reach a point where it stops scaling as fast as you are growing.

[JumboShrimp]

Is there any rule of thumb of what percentage of revenue should go to marketing in order to achieve certain CI.  Let's say my goal is CI of 70....

Or are there too many variables (number of routes, number of cities served) to come up with a % of revenue?

For example, last month, my marketing budget was ~4.5% of revenue.  Is that too little to move up from CI in mid 40s where I am stuck at the moment?

[Sigma]

Is there any rule of thumb of what percentage of revenue should go to marketing in order to achieve certain CI.  Let's say my goal is CI of 70....

Or are there too many variables (number of routes, number of cities served) to come up with a % of revenue?

For example, last month, my marketing budget was ~4.5% of revenue.  Is that too little to move up from CI in mid 40s where I am stuck at the moment?

It can vary WILDLY depending on the number of routes you operate.

When I focused on few, dense destinations -- I could hit a CI of 90 with just 4% of revenue.  When I ran a full regional with F28s, it took more than 40% of my revenues just to stay at 60.

[flydreamer]

it depends on number of routes OR number of destinations? i think it depends on number of destinations served

[Maarten Otto]

It does, and it should be based on the number of seats your able to sell. IMO